Inflection Matters!
A voice with inflection is captivating and motivating. It commands attention and makes people want to hear more. A voice without inflection is flat, a monotone. An uninteresting voice bores annoys and confuses those having to endure it. As you consider how you might...
Put That Smile Back on Your Customer’s Face!
Customers today are busy; some are overwhelmed by the myriad of tasks they now have to perform. By the time they call your help desk or customer care center, they are often frustrated and anything but pleasant. You can put that smile back on their face, and here is...
Globe Smarts for Virtual Presentations
Communicating with any team via teleconference or web session is challenging. When the team is spread across the globe, your task as a presenter requires real ‘globe smarts.’ Do not overlook the importance of adapting your message and slides to the audience...
The Problem with NOT Pausing
Pausing is the most under-utilized tool that a speaker has. Most people who use the phone to conduct business only concern themselves with their message. For example, they want to explain a product, fix your software or update you on month-end results. They forget...
Do You Ask a Variety of Questions or the Same Old Ones?
As inside sales representatives, the way we close business is by asking questions. Often, we ask the same questions of each customer. Sometimes, these questions move people to make decisions, but at other times, they don’t, leading us to wonder “what happened?”...
Attentive Listening
Everyone knows listening is a critical skill for people who do business over the phone. What is important to remember is that listening needs to be continuous. We must listen attentively before, during and after we finish talking. Before: Listening before responding...
How You Keep People Engaged in a Virtual Meeting
Virtual meetings are a perfect storm. Since attendees know they are not seen, they are often tempted to do additional things. People check email and voicemail. Some even let the dog out or do laundry! If you are the host, multi-tasking attendees are not what you want....
Did You Have Them at Hello: Your Tone of Voice is What Counts!
A good portion of anyone’s day is spent on the telephone. Everyone wants to make a good impression, but it’s the first few words out of your mouth that determine whether people will perceive you in a positive or negative manner or whether they will trust and believe...
Defending Yourself Against the Mad Caller
Picture that you’ve answered the phone and the caller begins with a raised voice. Without any seeming provocation, the person on the other end of the line starts making threatening statements and even swearing. How do you defend yourself against this mad, out of...
Want People to Return Your Voicemail? Here’s How!
Most of us are forced to leave voicemail messages constantly. In today’s business world, it is almost a rarity to speak to a live person. When we go to the trouble of leaving a voice message, our expectation is that we will receive a “call back.” The vexing part is...
What Kind of a Listener Are You — It Matters!
Approximately eighty percent of our waking hours are spent listening. You would think, by the sheer fact that so much of our time is devoted to listening, we would be fantastic at it, real superstars. The reality is not very many of us are good at listening because of...
Your Voice Affects How People Perceive You
Fact: Your voice affects how people perceive you over the phone. Fact: If there is any inconsistency between your words and your tone of voice, 85 percent of the time, listeners will trust what they hear in the tone of your voice, instead of your actual words. Fact:...You’re the Host of Your Teleconference – So Act Like One!
Instead of face-to-face meetings, many of us facilitate teleconferences or meetings over the phone. Without seeing people’s responses to our points, teleconferences can prove to be challenging. To be successful, one has to think of being the host of his or her own...Hanging on by a Thread? How You Can Help
Franklin Delano Roosevelt once said, “When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.” It sounds like sage advice. However, many people working in customer support will point out that they have been doing that for quite a while. They wonder how much...Sell Value and You Will Close the Sale; Sell Me Stuff and You Won’t!
Business professional today are busy – really busy. They have a million things to do before they end their day. The last thing they want is to be interrupted by a call from a salesperson trying to sell their latest product or service. Inside Salespeople need to...Making Training Stick
Customer service organizations spend thousands of dollars each year on training. The hope is to improve skill sets, increase productivity, close more business or create customer loyalty. While typically there is a “bump” in improvement after any class, over time, the...Listening X’s 3
Everyone knows listening is a critical skill for people who do business over the phone. What is important to remember is that listening needs to be continuous. We must listen attentively before, during and after we finish talking. Before: Listening before responding...Lessons Learned from Toyota about Customer Complaints
For many years, Toyota enjoyed an irrefutable reputation in the US as the maker of reliable, fuel-efficient cars. Sales were double those of Honda, and Toyota rivaled GM and Ford for the #l spot. However, in 2010, things changed. A problem with a sticking accelerator...Why Your Tone of Voice is a Problem
When callers hear your voice on the other end of the line, they imagine the person behind the voice. If they like what they hear in the tone of your voice, chances are they will perceive you as knowledgeable and confident. If they don’t like your tone, they may want...There is a Lesson to be Learned from a “Bad Call”
How many times have you had to placate an irate or distressed customer in a day? For many of us, that number is too large to calculate. Most often, we are successful in de-escalating an upset caller, but on occasion, we have a “bad call” from hell....Top Reasons Calls Get Escalated
Customers today seem quick to voice, “I would like to speak to a supervisor,” if they are unhappy with the service they receive. What is particularly vexing about these escalated calls is that as many as 85% of them could have been resolved with the initial phone rep....Things Never to Say to a Customer
The health and well being of your organization depends on the service your customers receive. If they receive stellar service, then customers smile and stay loyal. If they are not impressed, they begin to look elsewhere. There are some phrases inside sales, technical...What is the Most Important Skill for a Customer Care Representative?
Our organization is often asked, either by managers, interviewers or call center representatives, “What is the most important skill a customer support representative needs to ensure their success?” Is it the ability to handle irate customers or to resolve issues...Winning at Telephone Interviews
Almost every company today uses telephone interviews as a way to screen potential job candidates. Being successful in this initial screening is critical to moving to the next step in the hiring process. To insure your success, please consider the following tips. Have...Your Tone of Voice is a Door Opener
How many times have you fantasized the face behind a voice that you hear on the radio or television? Almost all of us have. Sometimes, we picture the speaker as honest and trustworthy, like Walter Cronkite, the news broadcaster. When he died, reporters described him...Here’s How to Slash Motivation or Things Managers Should Never Say
Now more than ever, managers and supervisors need to motivate their inside salespeople or their customer service representatives. Obviously, the more motivated people are the better sales and approval ratings will be. What managers and supervisors don’t often remember...The Magic Formula When Answering an Inbound Call
Within the first ten seconds of a call, customers form an impression of the organization and the person on the other end of the line. If the customer doesn’t like what he or she hears, sometimes they will disconnect or asked to be switched to another representative....Reasons Why I Hate Calling Customer Support
There are a lot of reasons why I hate calling Customer Support. It doesn’t matter what company. The issues remain the same. If I had a wish list, these are the things I would like to see changed- immediately! The first thing that bugs me is long waits with a message...Surviving the Hard Times with Your Customers
Many of our existing customers are no longer able to make their usual purchases or upgrades. They can no longer provide training for their employees. The temptation is, of course, to move on to those who are able. However, ignoring our existing customers in difficult...Motivating the Team When Times are Tough
Everywhere you go people are talking about the economy and its effect on them personally. On a recent business flight, the person sitting next to me mentioned that seven members of her family are out of work. At my aunt’s 90th birthday party last week, the...Extraordinary Service in Extraordinary Times—What It Takes
When a sales or service center is deemed or reported world class by such organizations as JD Powers or The Association of Support Professionals, the sales or service representatives themselves attribute it three key factors. They are: Knowledgeable Committed Empowered...Stay In Touch with Your Customers
Inside sales representatives beware! In this uncertain economy, there is a tendency to overlook existing customers who have put the skids on purchasing. Even if a customer isn’t buying today, eventually they will. If you stay in touch, your customers will remember....Listening—A Critical Skill in Challenging Times
A tough economy puts a lot of pressure on everyone. Clients are more and more demanding, especially when doing business over the phone. Good listening skills are essential. Yet, most people do not excel at listening. Researchers tell us that people listen effectively...A Difficult Economy Requires Extraordinary Communication Skills
The effects of the down economy are being felt all around the globe. The “R” word is being said out loud. Every corporation in almost every industry is feeling the pinch of the recession no matter where they are located. In tough times, the frontline people, those...How to Improve Your Telephone Voice
Many people think they have a bad telephone voice. While it’s true that not everyone’s voice sounds like a radio announcer’s voice, very few people have a terrible voice. What they have is a badly produced voice. To sound confident and be perceived in a professional...
Your Tone of Voice Affects How People Respond to You
When customers hear your voice on the other end of the line, they imagine the person behind the voice. If they like what they hear in the voice, chances are they will perceive you as knowledgeable and confident. If they don’t like your voice, it makes them want to...- Acknowledging – the Inside Scoop
When a customer, whether internal or external, has an issue, the good listener acknowledges it. By empathizing, the person feels you understand him and becomes more receptive to hearing what you have to say. He or she becomes less hostile. You build rapport. Do not worry that this will lengthen the call. It will actually facilitate moving the customer into problem solving mode sooner. Most acknowledgements take only a few seconds anyway.
- Feedback—What Are the Problems
George Bernard Shaw said the problem with communication is the illusion that what has been said has been understood and accepted. People are often given “suggestions” on how to do their jobs faster, better, or cheaper. Yet, many of those suggestions fall on deaf ears. For those of us in a management or supervisory role, […]
- Lower Customer Stress and Achieve Customer Loyalty
Picture for a moment your customers on the other end of the phone line. Whether they show it or not, many of your customers are highly stressed. They feel tremendous pressure from their own management team to do things faster or cheaper. When they purchase from your company, they do not want to add stress […]
- Listen like your job depends on it because it just might!
Listening is the number one skill for success in business today. Poor listening skills make people angry and make them feel you don’t value them. They affect all relationships, especially business relationships. Most people think they are good listeners. In reality, we listen effectively only 25% of the time. In fact, most people only listen […]
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